Challenge Accepted
by everwood2003
Summary: 100 word drabbles written in response to a variety of challenges.
1. Insight

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!  
  
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**Author's Notes:** This is the first challenge ever issued at **arcadia100**. The purpose was to focus on _Something New_, whether it be a new year, a new object, a new relationship, etc. It could be anything on the condition that it was new.   
  
This takes place during _The Uncertainty Principle_ as Adam tries to remain indifferent to Jane's suffering.   
  
Hope you enjoy,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Insight  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Something New  
  
The ride to Adam's house was a quiet one, save for the muffled sobs coming from the back seat of Mr. Girardi's car. Adam tried to block out the sound by replaying the image of Joan, her hair tied back in a messy ponytail but beautiful just the same, taking a chair and destroying The Thing Made Out of Stuff as if he had never confided in her, trusted her…as if it and his feelings were worth nothing. This time, something new and unexpected happened as Adam's anger melted into concern and compassion for a girl he could never hate. 


	2. Mine All Mine

bDisclaimer:/b I do not own anything pertaining to iJoan of Arcadia/i. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show! The song iMine All Mine/i is the intellectual property of SheDaisy.   
  
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**Author's Notes:** The _Your Song_ challenge required that one choose a song one loved, any song, and create a drabble based on that song and title in that song. I chose SheDaisy's _Mine All Mine_.  
  
This takes place during _St. Joan_ as Joan tries to deal with the repercussions of her actions and the knowledge that she is no longer Jane.   
  
Enjoy,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Comfort  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Your Song  
  
_Whatever, Joan._  
  
You. Said. My. Name.   
  
It wasn't supposed to hurt so bad when you finally said it. It wasn't supposed to mean anything more than what it was.  
  
My name.  
  
You were the weird stoner guy. Then you were the sweet, sensitive friend with his weirdo art. Everything was easy back then.   
  
Back when I was Jane.  
  
I hate being on this self-pity trip, hate knowing that I could have, _should have_ handled things differently.   
  
But I didn't.   
  
I can't even blame it on Him, as much as I'd like to. It's no one's fault but my own.   
  
Mine. All. Mine. 


	3. Kissing Jane

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** The _Love_ challenge required that one write a drabble with love as its central theme. It could be family love, platonic love, romantic love, religious love or any sort of love. The community moderator left it at our discretion. So, of course, I decided to write a little drabble about some Adam/Jane lovin'.   
  
This takes place during _Jump_ and it's just pure fluffy goodness.   
  
Hope it's not _too_ cavity inducing,  
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Kissing Jane   
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Love  
  
When she took a hold of his hand, he did not question it. When she tugged on his arm, he followed.   
  
And when she smiled at him _that_ way, he kissed her.  
  
Her mouth tasted of strawberry Jolly Ranchers and he could smell a hint of peachy stuff in her hair. It was enough to make him want to move the hand that was pressed against her stomach so that he could touch the soft curls by her cheek.   
  
When it finally registered in his mind that _cha,_ **he was kissing Jane**, _yo, _Adam knew that nothing would ever stop the ripples from spreading. 


	4. Comfort

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show! Delia Brown and _Everwood_ are the intellectual properties of Greg Berlanti and Warner Brothers.   
  
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**Author's Notes: **The _Crossover _challenge is pretty self explanatory. The only requirement was that the author crossed a _Joan of Arcadia _character with any other character from a fandom of his or her choice.   
  
I decided on writing a _Joan of Arcadia_/_Everwood _cross-over and, because Delia Brown is too cute for words, she's the focus of the piece.   
  
They're my two favorite shows,  
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Comfort  
  
**Word Count: **100  
  
**Challenge:** Crossover  
  
At the tender age of eight, there was little that she understood about death, other than what her father had told her after the disappearance of her pet rabbit.   
  
She remembered sitting on his knee as he explained that Mr. Peter had gone to a place with lots of sunshine and green grass.   
  
Now, as she sits on the front steps of their new home, she wonders if the sun is as bright and the grass as green where her mother is.  
  
"It is."  
  
Joan smiles, silently thanking God for allowing her to give Delia Brown that small bit of comfort. 


	5. Making Up

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** For the _Four Words_ challenge, the author had to make use of the words **candle, mad, tall,** and **book** in the drabble.   
  
This is pure fluff and I make no apologies for it. ;)  
  
Adam and Jane, sitting in a tree,  
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Making Up  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Use of **candle, mad, tall, book**.  
  
There is something about the way he looks at her that makes her feel light-hearted and mischievous, even when he's **mad** at her.   
  
"Cha, Jane, I told you I didn't want you looking until I was done with them. It was supposed to be a surprise, yo."  
  
She places the **book** of sketches in his hands, feeling **tall** and elated.   
  
The best part is making up.   
  
The **candle** beside her flickers and finally dies out as she pulls him to her. Her lips seek his in the darkness and her fingers gently caress the boyish face she loves so dearly. 


	6. When Lightning Strikes

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** For the _Dialogue_ challenge drabbles could only contain dialogue, nothing else. It was fine by me considering that I think dialogue is easier to write than anything else. ;)   
  
Here, it's all about Adam, Jane, and flooding (oh, and maybe a koala bear or two),  
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** When Lightning Strikes  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Dialogue  
  
"Know what I hate more than anything?"  
  
"Cha, Jane, that's easy. Koala bears. In hats."   
  
"Unchallenged. I mean, they sit in trees pretending to be, like, all snuggly soft and innocent but before you know it their beady little eyes have turned dark and they're baring their sharp little fangs at you and---never mind that, not what I meant. What I really hate is---"  
  
"Cha…can't…breathe…yo."  
  
"Sorry. SO not a fan of the loud boom and the blinding light and the rain with the flooding---oh, my God, so THIS is why He wanted me to build the stupid boat!"  
  
"Uh…what?"


	7. Can't Stand the Rain

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** For the _Weather_ challenge, weather was the name of the game. Rain, snow, sleet or sunshine, we took our pick and I chose rain because I still can't get that kick-ass image of the rain blurring out Jane's image in _No Bad Guy_.   
  
It's just Jane and the rain in her room,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title: **Can't Stand the Rain  
  
**Word Count: **100  
  
**Challenge:** Weather  
  
It was no secret that Joan hated rain with a passion.   
  
Every moment of heartache and disappointment that she'd ever experienced had been accompanied by rain pounding on her bedroom window.   
  
It hadn't helped that it'd been pouring the night they'd nearly lost Kevin.   
  
She'd mentioned it to her mother once, back when talking about such things seemed both necessary and right, and she'd smiled that sad smile of hers and admitted that she wasn't too partial to the rain either and left it at that.  
  
Mostly, Joan hates the rain for not allowing her to mourn the loss of all she loves dearly, in peace. 


	8. Believing

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** The _It'll Never Happen_ challenge called for a little imagination. What, in our opinion, was something that we could never see happening, something that our beloved characters wouldn't to?   
  
Here's my answer,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Believing  
  
**Word Count: **100  
  
**Challenge:** It Will Never Happen  
  
Adam stares at Joan in disbelief, his hands grasping the edge of the worktable.  
  
She knows that she should not blame him. After all, why should she expect him to believe her when she barely believes it all herself?  
  
Still, there is that small part of her that holds onto a memory of the warmth of the sun on her skin as he hesitantly revealed that he talked to angels.   
  
"You're lying. There's just no way—."  
  
And just like that, his back is to her and she finally has her answer.   
  
She talks to God, and he does not believe. 


	9. Eternal Sunshine

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** The _Spring_ challenge had authors writing drabbles showcasing the wonder that is the season of renewal and rebirth. If we were feeling especially daring, we could try to use **flower, lullabye, hour, **and **me** in the drabble.   
  
I was feeling especially daring,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author: **Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Eternal Sunshine  
  
**Word Count: **100  
  
**Challenge:** Spring and a couple of words  
  
"You really are gorgeous, you know."  
  
She rolls her body towards him, not caring that she'll probably have grass stains to show for it, and reaches out to lay her hand on his chest.  
  
"Tell **me **that enough times, mister, and I might just start believing you."   
  
He pulls her head towards him and places a gentle kiss on her lips, which deepens until she has to pull back to gasp for air.   
  
"You know what the Springweather with all the sunshine and the **flowers **and such does to me, Helen."   
  
Helen laughs, the sound a sweet **lullabye **to his ears and both wait for the inevitable **hour **when they must rejoin the world. 


	10. Enigma

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes: **The _Luke _challenge gave our favorite geek boy some much needed attention.   
  
This drabble finds Luke thinking about his place in the family.   
  
It's all about Luke,  
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title: **Enigma  
  
**Word Count: **100  
  
**Challenge:** Luke  
  
Admitting that he's always felt out of place is something of an understatement.   
  
He guesses that it all has to do with the "middle child syndrome" but, in his case, it could also be a case of the "dorky child syndrome," or maybe even the "adopted child syndrome."   
  
Okay, so the last one hasn't been confirmed, but he is highly suspicious.   
  
In any case, Luke muses, some might have considered him something of an enigma in his family, if it weren't for the fact that his sister's odd behavior of late has made him feel more normal, albeit no less out of place. 


	11. Fly High

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes: **_Make Up Your Own God_, they said. So I did.   
  
Jane's behind on her flyer miles.   
  
And I'm also a wimpy flyer,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Fly High  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge: **New Form of God   
  
"Mom, do you really think we need that many plastic bags? It's only going to be a two hour flight."   
  
"Joan, honey, need I remind you that you've caused more damage on 30 minute field trips?"  
  
"_Mom!_ You're embarrassing me!"  
  
"As per the usual. Allow me to relieve you of my presence for a couple of minutes while I mosey on down to the ladies room."   
  
"You know, you really should treat your mother with a little more respect, Joan."  
  
"You're a flight attendant? Great, I'm free to move about the country and even _then_ I can't get away from you." 


	12. Songs About Jane

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show! The music from _Songs About Jane_ is the property of Maroon 5, as are the titles of those songs. I wrote the drabbles around these titles. Please don't sue me. ;)   
  
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**Author's Notes:** The _Songs About Jane_ challenge was, by far, the most enjoyable of all the challenges. I turn into a puddle of goo when it comes to this band's music and have yet to grow tired of this cd even after having listened to it continuously for more than five months. Don't know what it is, but their music is catchy as hell.   
  
Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the band leader's name is Adam or that he just happened to write songs about Jane. It's no coincidence, I tell you.   
  
Many of these drabbles could be grouped together into a series of sorts but I'll leave it to you guys to figure out which ones go together.   
  
Wish someone would write songs about me,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Songs About Jane**

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**Title:** Harder to Breathe  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane   
  
He tells himself that he shouldn't feel disappointed by her actions, that he really never knew her well enough to care so much.   
  
He reminds himself that believing in her has been one of his greatest mistakes, that he should have remained clueless to everything around him.   
  
He insists that it's for the best because she would have eventually broken his heart anyway.   
  
He convinces himself that she deserves every harsh word, every cold look, and that no amount of pleading on her part is going to make him forgive her.   
  
So why is it, Adam wonders, so hard to breathe whenever she's around?   
  
****

**Title:** This Love  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane  
  
As he stands outside, hands in pocket and hood drawn over his head like a protective covering, he feels anger and disappointment burning in his chest.   
  
He kicks at the grass beneath him and swears that this is the last time, that she's lost all her chances and that he'll find a way to move on, even if it kills him.   
  
But then she's there, soft hair framing her beautiful face, and he figures that he's a masochist of some sort because he knows he loves her even as she's hurting him yet again.   
  
Despite her rejection, Adam just can't bring himself to say no when she asks him to dance.   
  
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**Title:** Shiver  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane   
  
After the wedding, Joan sits in silence on the edge of the bed while Adam sits beside her, his fingers laced through hers.   
  
"You know, we don't have to do this tonight. If it's too---"  
  
She tugs at his hand and shakes her head, a gentle smile on her lips and he thinks that maybe he's more nervous than he'd like to admit.   
  
He watches, mesmerized by the sight of her as she lets her hair cascade onto her shoulders.   
  
He's scared by the intensity of his emotions but more so by his desire to get under her skin the way she has his.   
  
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**Title:** She Will Be Loved  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane  
  
He finds himself at her doorstep, despite the pouring rain and the fact that he has not idea what he's going to say when she answers the door.   
  
But it doesn't really matter because everything comes out the wrong way and, when it comes to Jane, everything's always complicated anyway.   
  
He feels like kissing her, but decides on something just as intimate and he wonders why he tried to move on at all.   
  
By the time Adam leaves, he's just as confused as before except now it's raining just a bit harder.   
  
And his goodbye means nothing.  
  
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**Title:** Tangled  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane  
  
It bothers him, the way that she tries so hard to act as if his being with Iris doesn't bother her in the least.   
  
Especially since he knows her too well to let her fool him into believing it.   
  
He feels like an asshole because, truth be told, he grips Iris' hands just a little more firmly and smiles at her with more enthusiasm whenever Jane's around.   
  
He knows that it has an affect on her, has seen her laughter die down whenever he does those things but it only leaves him feeling empty and ashamed.

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**Title:** The Sun  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane  
  
In the end, the very thing he loved about her, her compassion and will to put other's people's happiness before her own, had made her stubborn even when she couldn't bring herself to say goodbye without sobbing into his shoulder  
  
He'd protested, urging her to rethink her decision because their love was strong enough to overcome distance and time apart.   
  
She'd refused, insisting that he shouldn't pass up a good opportunity because of her, _them_.   
  
Even now that it hurts to think about her, about the love he still has for her, Adam has no regrets about having been with his Jane.   
  
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**Title:** Must Get Out  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane  
  
Lately, Adam finds it difficult to think of Jane without wanting to catch the earliest flight to Arcadia.   
  
He'd almost done it once, had booked a flight at 2 a.m. in the morning, had his bags packed and ready to go. But he felt he owed it to her to at least give his future, the one she'd sacrificed their relationship for, a try.   
  
Jane might have commented that he was stir-crazy if she'd been there to see how he woke up at dawn each and every morning, thoughts of getting out of the crazy city and back to the comfort of her arms practically driving him insane.   
  
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**Title:** Sunday Morning  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane  
  
For all that Adam kept himself from going back to her, she was the one who could not stay away.   
  
He did not question Jane's presence at his doorstep, had wordlessly accepted her embrace, had reveled in the familiar scent of peaches in her hair.   
  
He'd welcomed her gentle kisses on his lips even as she asked for forgiveness, felt a wave of déja vu as she insisted that she'd never meant to hurt him, had never stopped loving him.  
  
She cried herself to sleep in his arms and as the sun dawned the next day, he couldn't help but marvel at how right it felt to wake up next to her on a Sunday morning.  
  
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**Title:** Secret  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane  
  
Adam draws Jane while she sleeps, his hand working furiously on the final touches by the time she opens her eyes. He watches in silence as she sits up beside him, her smile shy and akward before he notices that she's biting her lip.   
  
The last time he remembers seeing her this way, she couldn't figure out how to tell him that she wanted to end the relationship.   
  
He places his sketchbook on the nightstand beside him and turns to her, gives her a kiss on the forehead as a sign of encouragement.   
  
And waits patiently for her to finally tell him about the secret she's been keeping.   
  
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**Title:** Through With You  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane   
  
In a way, he thinks it's sort of a blessing that he never really had a serious relationship with anyone except Jane and Iris.   
  
He still remembers how nervous he'd felt as he tried to explain to Iris why things weren't going to work, why there was no point in trying to deny it anymore.   
  
His words hadn't been necessary, as Iris knew it was inevitable. She'd all but said that she was through with him.   
  
He supposes that it was better for him to bear the brunt of her disappointment. But it still doesn't ease the shame he feels for having used her to get over Jane.   
  
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**Title:** Not Coming Home  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane  
  
Iris, Adam reasons, is a nice enough girl. She's not Jane, by any means, doesn't have any of her quirky qualities, but he likes her well enough.   
  
By the time he's made his way down the school's halls, he's decided that he has to give Iris a chance, that he can't keep waiting for Jane when she hasn't given him enough hope that there's something worth waiting for.   
  
He doesn't, however, expect to see Jane waiting just outside the classroom door, her eyes full of---something, longing maybe?   
  
But, as much as it pains him to see disappointment etched on her face, he knows that he's not going back.   
  
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**Title:** Sweetest Goodbye  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Songs About Jane  
  
Adam proposes in his shed, the place where their friendship truly began. He hangs the engagement ring on his latest sculpture and gets her to look for it under the pretense that he wants her to tell him what she thinks of his new creation.   
  
She's silent and, for a moment, he's afraid that everything has been an illusion, that he's still the boy who knew nothing of ripples or yellow boats.   
  
But she wraps her arms around his neck, whispers that she's scared that she'll end up ruining everything. He laughs, because he's saying goodbye to his own uncertainties, his fears and, above all, his loneliness.


	13. Taking Risks

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** I know it seems a bit redundant that the challenge that followed required that the author write a drabble about Adam. But hey, I'm obsessed about this perfect tv boyfriend.   
  
Takes place during _Jump_ as Adam decides to take a final risk.   
  
I want to have Christopher Marquette's babies,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Taking Risks  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Adam  
  
Adam hadn't expected to run into Ja---Joan when he'd gone to visit his mother's grave. It was supposed to be just like any other visit, except it wasn't.   
  
Life sincerely sucked. Unchallenged.  
  
Adam most definitely hadn't expected to see her in his shed, forcing him to confront the fears he'd learned to live with long before she came along.   
  
But once she led him to his mother's yellow boat and he felt the feathers falling around them, life didn't seem so bad after all.  
  
So he made up his mind to take one final risk because he had nothing left to lose. 


	14. Watching Tranquility

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** This time, it's all about Joan (as if she doesn't get enough attention already, what with her own tv show and all…hee).   
  
Just a quiet moment of reflection as Joan enjoys tranquility.   
  
Amber Tamblyn really is quite beautiful,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Watching Tranquility  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Joan  
  
Joan sits on a wooden bench in the park, watching as the others joke about how age has caught up with her father.   
  
"I'll have you know that I still have some steam left in me. They don't call your father 'Flash Girardi' for nothing, you know."   
  
She laughs, but catches herself as soon as it dawns on her that moments like these have been few and far in between.   
  
"That's not your fault, Joan."   
  
Eyes wise beyond a little girl's bespectacled years turn to look into her own.   
  
Joan just shrugs her shoulders before going back to watching from afar. 


	15. Grace Gone Wild

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** The _Spring Break_ challenge had _JoA _characters having fun in the sun. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to join in.   
  
Here, Grace is quite the obstinate character.   
  
**Lurve** me some Grace,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Grace Gone Wild  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Spring Break  
  
"Girardi, there is _no way_ that I'm going to be caught dead in _that_."   
  
"_C'mon_, Grace! It's Spring Break at the beach and you are _so_ not going to walk around in cargo pants and that leather jacket! It's like, against the rules!"  
  
"I don't see how wearing a scarf and dental floss is any better! Besides, I tend to burn easily."  
  
"That's what sun lotion is for!"  
  
"I'm leaving!"  
  
"I'm wearing one too and I haven't been to a gym in like, _ever_!"  
  
"All right, fine! I'll wear the bikini but hell's freezing over before I flash my boobs for anyone!" 


	16. He Says

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** Here, it's all about _Fear_. The drabble had to focus on a specific character's fears.   
  
I decided that Joan's insecurities were a good place to start.   
  
What do you fear?,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** He Says  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Fear  
  
He says she is perfect.  
  
He says that her beauty is striking and that none of his sketches could ever do her justice, though he continues to draw her just the same.   
  
He says that she is his muse, infusing in him a passion to create great works of art, though she knows that his talent is not her doing.   
  
He says the right things, and yet nothing can ease her fear that the illusion will one day shatter, and he will see her as she is---a plain Jane who has not yet found her place in the world. 


	17. Counting Steps

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
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**Author's Notes:** Because there just isn't enough angst in the world of _Joan of Arcadia_, the _Sorrow_ challenge was created.   
  
I decided to focus on Adam Rove's visits to his mother's grave.   
  
His pain is my pain,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
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**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Counting Steps  
  
**Word Count:** I would say 100…except I'd be lying.  
  
**Challenge:** Sorrow  
  
Adam finds it odd that, though he's visited his mother's grave every single year since her death, the grief is just as raw as the day he was forced to toss a handful of dirt onto her casket.   
  
He walks with trepidation, a bouquet of white lilies clutched in his hands, and counts the number of steps that it takes to get from the front gates to her final resting place.   
  
As soon as he's five feet from her grave he finds that his feet refuse to carry him any further. He once stood there for a full hour until his father, worried that he'd been gone so long, found him and walked with him the rest of the way.   
  
He feels a gentle hand on his arm and turns to look into warm brown eyes, questioning whether or not he's ready to go ahead.  
  
Adam nods, allowing Jane to take a hold of his hand, and they both count steps the rest of the way. 


	18. Childish Dreams

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!   
  
--------------------------------------  
  
**Author's Notes:** The latest challenge focuses on _Dreams_. Hey, television characters sleep too so what, exactly, do they dream about?   
  
This drabble focuses on a young woman's dreams of mischievous eyes and lullabies.   
  
Someday it'll happen,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Childish Dreams  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
**Challenge:** Dreams  
  
She had her first glimpse of the child on her wedding night as her head lay nestled in her husband's shoulders, long after sleep had claimed her. She knew nothing of the child, except that they were connected in a manner that was beyond her comprehension.   
  
The next time she dreamed of the child, she saw that he was a boy with dark, curly hair and brown eyes full of mischief. She knew nothing more, except that she longed to hold him in her arms and sing him a lullaby.   
  
Joan had been married all of five months, her pregnancy recently confirmed when the dreams finally stopped. 


	19. Dear Diary

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
**Author's Notes:** This is one of the latest challenges issued at **arcadia100**. The task at hand was to write a drabble in which we either created a diary of sorts for a character or referred to a hypothetical diary. This is my offering.

This takes place a little after _Silence _as Joan tries to sort out her feelings for two central figures in her life.   
  
Hope you enjoy,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
--------------------------------------- 

****

**Title:** After The Silence  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Challenge:** #23 Dear Diary  
  
**Word Count:** 100-ish.  
  
**Spoilers:** Silence  
  
**Rating:** G  
  
**May 22, 2004  
**  
Dear Diary,   
  
I finally told Adam. He didn't believe me. Not much to say other than…I'm tired and I wish I'd never met him. God, I mean.   
  
**May 26, 2004**  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
He came by today but I didn't want to listen. I know it's not right and I probably wouldn't have believed me either. But it's Adam. And it still hurts.   
  
**June 5, 2004**  
  
Dear Diary,   
  
It's over, I think. Mom says that all relationships go through rough times. But she doesn't know. They're worried about me, all of them. I wish I knew what to do to not feel like this. But I'm such a crybaby.

I miss him.


	20. They Say

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
**Author's Notes:** The latest challenge required that authors look at a series of the moderator's favorite quotes and construct drabbles around them. These ten little drabbles are what I came up with. Drop me a line and let me know if you liked any, all or none of them. ;)

There's a little cursing in **Growing Pains**, but nothing you haven't heard/used before.   
  
Hope you enjoy,   
  
Everwood2003  
  
---------------------------------------

****

**Title: Perseverence**

_"You can turn off the sun, but I'm still gonna shine."  
  
--Jason Mraz, "The Remedy"  
_  
"Oh. Well, uh, can you please tell her that I came by again?"  
  
He sees the sympathy in her eyes and knows that whatever she's about to say won't make things better, no matter how soothing her voice.   
  
"Adam, just…give her time. Whatever's going on between you two, it'll work itself out."   
  
He tries to offer a genuine smile, but his eyes belie his sadness and confusion. So he just nods, resisting the urge to tell her that it's difficult to remain optimistic, especially when you feel as if the sun's light has been extinguished.  
  
**Title: In Dreams**  
  
_"(Faith) is not about making sense. It's about believing in something and letting that belief be real enough to change your life."  
  
--Book, Firefly   
_  
After two weeks of silence, He finally comes to her in a dream, as she walks aimlessly through fields of green grass.   
  
She feels His presence beside her, knows it's Him even as her gaze remains fixed on the horizon.   
  
"You know, I was having a very nice dream about Orlando Bloom before this. Having said that, go away."   
  
Joan does not realize that she's running until she stumbles and falls to the ground. She sits there, stunned, before noticing the outstretched hand in front of her.   
  
"Nothing makes sense anymore, Joan. But that doesn't mean you should stop believing."   
  
**Title: Fury  
**  
_"We decide what our lives are going to be. Things happen to us; it's our reactions that matter."  
  
--Felicity  
_  
He doesn't remember much about the accident, other than the putrid smell of burning metal and the sound of wailing sirens that grew closer as his breath got more labored and his eyes grew heavy.   
  
By the time he'd been released from the hospital he'd decided that if God didn't give a damn, he wouldn't either.  
  
But, for all his bitter resentment, Kevin finds it less difficult to get out of bed, even looks forward to each and every new day with a sense of purpose.   
  
Because, when all's said and done, no amount of fury will change what's happened to him.   
  
**Title: Acceptance**  
  
_"Guys do find me attractive even though I don't have raven hair and the initials L.L."  
  
--Chloe, Smallville  
_  
"Hey, you think if I stopped eating and started smoking I'd end up looking as hot as this?"   
  
Grace sighs, torn between relief at seeing Joan break her silence after weeks of refusing to accept visits and phone calls and utter annoyance given the subject matter.   
  
"Dude. How many times do I have to tell you that Cosmo kills brain cells? Besides, what's wrong with the way you look now?"  
  
She groans inwardly, hoping the comment doesn't lead to further questions about her sexuality because she's tired of not having any answers.   
  
"Uh, ah, I mean...it's all air-brushing anyway."   
  
**Title: This Situation We're In**  
  
_"You have a very limited and uncreative way of looking at the situation."  
  
--Don Juan DeMarco  
_  
In the end, her pride will not allow her to take His hand. So she picks herself up off the ground and glares at Him even though she knows it won't affect Him in the least.   
  
"You're. Not. Real."   
  
She hates the way He looks at her, His eyes full of warmth and sympathy, and hates that she feels so much for a figment of her imagination.   
  
"I guess that's one way of looking at the situation. Though I am a bit disappointed that your explanation lacks creativity."  
  
He flashes her a brief, albeit radiant, smile before turning away from her, one hand thrust inside the pocket of His curdoroy jacket, the other raised as He waves goodbye in that all-too-familiar fashion.   
  
**Title: Growing Pains  
**  
_"I will have poetry in my life...and adventure...and love. Love, above all."  
  
--Viola, Shakespeare in Love   
  
_When she was twelve, her mother told her that nice young ladies did not climb trees or spend afternoons sewer-walking with boys, even if those boys did happen to be named Adam Rove.   
  
After that, she figured that being a lady wasn't worth shit if it meant she couldn't have adventure in her life.   
  
When she was fourteen, her mother made sure to remind her that being locked in her room writing angst-ridden poems was not going to win her any points with the boys.   
  
So she decided that boys could fuck off because poetry did more for her than they ever would.   
  
Her mother's last bit of advice was given on her sixteenth birthday, something about love not being enough or something along those lines.  
  
But now she can't remember because her mother mumbled the words just as she was walking out the door and out of her life.   
  
That and the fury and bitterness always make her forget.  
  
But then Grace met a boy who wasn't a boy, really, and he gave her a rock that wasn't a rock, though she'd never admit it, and nothing made sense anymore.  
  
**Title: Confusion**   
  
_"Sometimes I think that you want me to touch you  
  
How can I when you build the Great Wall around you?"  
  
--Tori Amos, "China"_  
  
"What are you doing here? If my dad catches you, you'll be sleeping with the fishes. He's Italian, you know."   
  
Adam closes the door behind him, takes a hesitant step forward before deciding that maybe it's best if he stays put. He leans against the door, arms crossed, and hopes she can't tell how nervous he is.   
  
"I've never been in your room, yo."   
  
His voice cracks a bit, which doesn't surprise him because his emotions have always been transparent where she's concerned.   
  
She takes a seat on the edge of the bed, her back to him, and he's at a loss as to how to reach her when she refuses to let him in.   
  
**Title: Her Resolve**  
  
_"The greatest thing you can ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."  
  
--Christian, Moulin Rouge  
_  
For all that she seems calm and collected, it takes all of her willpower not to break down after realizing that, even after weeks of unreturned phone calls and refusing to see him, she doesn't love him any less.   
  
Because even though she can't help but feel disappointed that he could not give her what she needed, he is still the only person she knows who talks to angels.   
  
She turns away from him, sits at the edge of her bed, and clutches a pillow to her chest, hoping against hope that he'll take a hint and leave.  
  
But then he is besider her, his fingers caressing the palm of her hand before becoming intertwined with hers, and her resolve finally crumbles.   
  
**Title: Desire**  
  
_"I want some more."  
  
--Claudia, Interview with the Vampire  
_  
He doesn't realize how much he's missed her, them, until he feels her hair brushing softly against his cheek.   
  
But it's not enough.   
  
Even though he knows that this isn't the time or the place for it, he can't have her this close without wanting to kiss her.   
  
So he lifts his free hand so that it's just above her cheek before reaching down to gently turn her face to him.   
  
His lips hover on the spot just beside her mouth and he presses them softly to her skin before placing a tentative kiss on her lips. He feels her body grow tense but is relieved when she relaxes and finally responds.   
  
And, for a moment at least, it doesn't matter that she talks to God.   
  
**Title: Unconventional**  
  
_"And here I stand with this sword in my hand."  
  
--Tori Amos, "Take to the Skies"_  
  
"Grace, guess what happened yester---hey, what's with the sword?"  
  
She shrugs her shoulders and raises the sword in question above her, making a mental note to find friends who don't ask so many questions.   
  
"Well, Girardi, remember when we joked about entering the school play?"   
  
Grace watches with amusement as recognition registers on Joan's face.   
  
"Yeah. You said there was no way in hell I'd ever make a good Juliet and I said, well, that you'd make a better Romeo and I bet you that you wouldn't---don't tell me…."  
  
"Juliet, meet your Romeo. Oh, and cash only please." 


	21. Dido's Songs

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_. The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show! The music from No Angel is the property of Dido, as are the titles of those songs. I wrote the drabbles around these titles. Please don't sue me. ;)   
  
--------------------------------------  
**Author's Notes:** The Dido challenge required authors to write drabbles centered around songs from any of her cds. Mine, as the titles reflect, were centered around songs from Dido's No Angel cd and are about a variety of characters from the show, including the bit players (i.e. Beth, Carl Rove and Glynis). I tried to create drabbles that reflected both the message behind a particular song as well as situations that resonate in each character's lives.

Each drabble begins with a quote from the respective song that I really thought captured the mood of the piece.   
  
I hope you enjoy them all (or, at least, most) ;),   
  
Everwood2003  
---------------------------------------  
**Title:** Here With Me  
_"I cannot be until you're resting here with me."  
  
_ The day that she's released from the hospital, Joan finds it difficult to concentrate   
on what the doctors are saying to her.  
  
Something about taking medication twice a day and she'll be just like she used to be.  
  
She doesn't know what that means, exactly, but figures that her brothers probably   
won't have any reason to tease her about being cursed with permanent PMS.  
  
Her eyes sweep over every inch of the room and a wave of nostalgia hits her as   
she is reminded, with painful clarity, that the only person who can give her peace of   
mind has abandoned her.  
---------------------------------------  
**Title:** Hunter  
_" For the crown you've placed upon my head feels too heavy now."_  
  
It's quite odd, she muses, how looking at yourself in the mirror can feel so foreign   
and bizarre.  
  
Every time she studies the smoky eyes and ruby red lips that belong to the stranger in   
the mirror, Glynis can't help but wonder if she isn't Alice caught on the wrong side of the   
glass.  
  
But, amidst the confusion and uncertainty, she admits that it's better than being the   
gawky, pathetic girl who used to cry herself to sleep every night wishing that God had   
found it in his heart to make her beautiful.  
  
Even if it means not having Luke by her side.  
---------------------------------------  
**Title:** Don't Think of Me  
_"And it's too late and it's too bad, don't think of me."  
  
_ She loves Kevin.  
  
It's as simple as that, even though nothing could be further from the truth.  
  
But there it is.  
  
She stands before him, eyes full of bitter tears, and recounts every detail of his   
betrayal even as she clings to a small sliver of hope that it's all just a horrible   
misunderstanding.  
  
He just shrugs his shoulders and turns to his group of friends, announcing that   
she's turned into excess baggage. He doesn't even have the decency to look her in   
the face when he says that it's over.  
  
Anger burns in her chest and Beth prays that he never lives to regret this day   
because, as far as she's concerned, there's no turning back.  
---------------------------------------  
**Title:** My Lover's Gone  
_"My lover's gone,  
I know that kiss will be my last.  
_  
As much as Carl tries to keep the memories at bay, he can't help but dwell   
on days past when Elizabeth's presence was a constant in his life.  
  
Every once in awhile he dreams that she is with him, her head resting on the   
crook of his neck only to awaken and find that the spot next to him is just as   
empty as it has been for the past three years.  
  
But somehow, he finds solace in his son's presence and clings to the knowledge that there is   
still a soul in this world who needs him as much as he does her.  
---------------------------------------  
**Title:** Thank You  
_"Oh just to be with you is having the best day of my life."  
  
_ For as long as he can remember, his life has been all sorts of chaos and misery.  
  
One tragedy followed another and, before he knew it, he'd found that he'd closed   
himself off to the world, so much so that he had no idea how to make his way back.  
  
His meeting Jane, he figures, is no coincidence and, though he's not quite sure if he's   
ready to admit that God intervened in some way, he finds it amazing that she came to   
him when he needed her the most.  
  
Her mere presence has a calming effect on him and Adam feels an increasing sense   
of gratitude ever time he is near her.  
---------------------------------------  
**Title:** Honestly OK  
_" But I'm so lonely I don't even want to be with myself anymore."_  
  
Joan watches the people she loves come and go, tries to smile for them even as   
they treat her like a fragile piece of china.  
  
They try to help, try to make her feel as "normal" as they can without making it   
seem as if they ever thought she was crazy.  
  
But she knows better.  
  
She catches the weary glances they send each other, hears the troubled whispers   
in her parents' bedroom about how they'd "do anything to get the old Joan back."  
  
And she thinks that maybe they know something that she doesn't because she   
feels more fragmented and out of place than she ever has in her life.  
---------------------------------------  
**Title:** Slide  
_"The rings around your eyes they don't hide, that you need to get some rest."_  
  
For all that she used to complain about Joan being so flighty and scatterbrained,   
Helen finds that she prefers those things a hundred times over to the hopelessness   
and desolation that has left her child so broken and detached.  
  
She feels a growing sense of desperation with each passing day as she struggles   
to reach a daughter who refuses to let anyone in.  
  
Sometimes, she lies awake at night wondering if losing one child was not enough,   
if she might be paying penance for some sin she committed in the past.  
  
Oftentimes, she wishes that she could go back to a time when her arms were   
enough to do away with her children's sorrows.  
---------------------------------------  
**Title:** I'm No Angel  
_" I know I'm not perfect but I can smile_."  
  
And I hope that you see this heart behind my tired eyes."  
  
"Grace!"  
  
He's a pretty good runner, for a geek, and soon enough he's walking beside her,   
his stride matching hers.  
  
"I thought that maybe, you know, we could do something now that our intentions   
have been made clear ---"  
  
"Look, geek, I don't know what you're---"  
  
"It's Luke."  
  
His voice is barely above a whisper, but his eyes are filled with a steely resolve   
she's never seen before.  
  
"That's my name. Not geek or dog-boy or any other appellation you or my   
siblings happen to create. If we're going to do this, then you're going to have to   
learn my name."  
  
And with that, he walks off, leaving her to wonder if they aren't more similar   
than she'd like to admit.  
---------------------------------------  
**Title:** Take My Hand  
_" Take your time and if I'm lying to you,  
I know you'll find that you believe me, you believe me."_  
  
"You're upset with me, aren't you, Joan?"  
  
The young man, hands shoved into the pockets of a familiar curdoroy jacket,   
is just as handsome as she remembers Him to be.  
  
And just as infuriating.  
  
"Yeah, well, pardon me if I don't put out the welcome mat."  
  
She rises from the park bench and turns her back to Him, her hands clenched   
at her sides.  
  
"Don't you remember, Joan? I'm everywhere. Whether or not you can see or   
hear me, I am always present."  
  
His words do not soothe her an she wonders if there will ever come a time   
when she will trust Him again. 


	22. Stuck

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_.   
The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall   
and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!  
  
--------------------------------------  
**Author's Notes: **For this challenge, we were to write a drabble   
about anything as long as said drabble began with the phrase   
"It was stuck."

This is my offering. I hope you enjoy it.   
  
Everwood2003  
--------------------------------------

****

**Title:** Stuck

**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Word Count:** 100-ish...  
  
It was stuck.  
  
The first time Adam had realized that was when he and Jane   
had been watching the sun set with his father out on the porch,   
he in his mother's old rocking chair and they on the porch steps.  
  
She'd asked him to talk about his mother.  
  
He'd closed his eyes, willing his mind to release the memory   
of the woman he'd loved so dearly only to come up empty handed.  
  
Before he could reveal that she'd been gone for so long that even   
his photographic memory failed him, his father had begun to talk in   
that gentle voice of his of a woman with raven curls and hazel eyes.  
  
Because his father always made good on his promise to never let   
him forget.


	23. Pictures

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Joan of Arcadia_.  
The concept, characters and show are all property of Barbara Hall   
and CBS. Bless her heart for creating such a great show!  
  
--------------------------------------  
**Author's Notes:** For this challenge, we were to write a drabble   
centered around a variety of screencaps from Jump. The drabble   
had to explain what was going on in the picture without recreating   
what had actually happened in the scene in the episode (i.e. it had   
to be a whole new situation).

These are the little drabbles I came up with. I hope you enjoy them.   
  
Everwood2003  
----------------------------------------  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Concern  
  
**Picture:** Joan and Luke  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
"I wish everyone would stop worrying. I'm _fine_. _Everything's_ fine.   
Ooh, what is that girl wearing?"  
  
Luke walks silently beside Joan, his brows furrowed in consternation.  
  
"I mean, that shirt is so—"  
  
"Joan."  
  
He's surprised at the urgency in his voice, his hand on her arm, and his   
desire to get through to her overcoming his tendency to remain a mere observer.  
  
She glares at him and, for a second, she is as familiar to him as the annoyance   
that is now reflected on her face.  
  
But the moment passes all too quickly as she jerks her arm away and hurries   
off, leaving his concern behind her.  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Escape  
  
**Picture:** Joan and GothKidGod in Hall  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
Joan makes her way down the hall gripping the straps of her shoulder bag as if   
the act alone will keep her world from crumbling around her.  
  
The other students blur together into one big mass, their voices a cacophony   
of indecipherable sounds and she finds that she wants nothing more than to get   
away from it all.  
  
"You can't keep running away, Joan."  
  
She instantly recognizes the low timbre of His voice as memories of a young   
man with dark eyes and a contrary appearance come rushing back.  
  
"It's all in my mind," she whispers, ignoring the way her heart pounds in her   
chest in response to His presence.  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Confusion  
  
**Picture:** Luke in Hall  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
He stands in the middle of the hallway, stunned at his sister's abrupt departure,   
before being pushed aside by a throng of students eager to make it to class before   
the bell.  
  
It still amazes Luke that, for all the knowledge he possesses of scientific theories   
and probabilities he isn't any closer to understanding the phenomenon that is his sister.  
  
Because, as much as it pains him to admit it, he cannot use logic to explain why   
she's become so distant and closed off.  
  
His train of thought is finally broken by the insistent ringing of the bell signaling that   
he's late to class.  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Guilt  
  
**Picture:** Lunch with Jane  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
Their time together has dwindled, her promises to meet him at the rooftop broken   
more times than Adam can remember.  
  
Now, he's lucky if she's able to make a lunch date.  
  
She sits across from him, pretending that things are as they supposed to be even  
if it means breaking the silence between them with superficial talk about clothes, gossip   
and lamps.  
  
He just stares at the fried egg sandwich in his hand as if it holds all the answers to   
the questions he's too afraid to ask.  
  
And wonders how things might have been different if he'd had enough faith to   
believe.  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Her skin  
  
**Picture:** Luke and Glynis  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
After forty-five minutes walking aimlessly through the school hallways, Luke   
comes to the conclusion that truancy is not exactly the best of solitary activities.  
  
And he's no closer to obtaining the ever elusive solution to his sister's current   
distress.  
  
He is so consumed by the thoughts running rampant in his mind that he fails to   
notice another person's presence.  
  
"Um, you're missing quite an interesting lecture and, uh...yeah."  
  
He feels a pang of sadness when he realizes that Glynis, no longer adorned with   
cosmetics, has done what his sister cannot seem to.  
  
She has found comfort in her own skin.  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Sanctuary  
  
**Picture:** Joan and GothKidGod Sit Side By Side  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
After yet another tense and uncomfortable lunch with Adam, Joan makes a hasty   
retreat to her next class even though she still has more than enough time to spare.  
  
She enters the empty classroom and slides into a seat in the far back of the room   
where she is certain to have as much privacy as one can in a room full of people.  
  
"You're getting tired, Joan. Pretending is starting to take its toll on you."  
  
She turns to Him, her eyes predictably teary, and realizes that He's right.  
  
Because she can't keep running when she has no place to run to.  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Dealing  
  
**Picture:** Kevin at Dinner  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
There was a time when he was the sole reason for his parents' sleepless nights.  
  
Nowadays, the pink elephant in the room has Joan's name stamped all over it,   
except no one is willing to admit it.  
  
They all deal with this new development differently.  
  
His mother argues a lot, especially when it comes to Joan's lack of an appetite.   
His father makes jokes because laughing is much more preferable than admitting that   
he cannot help his only daughter..  
  
Luke tries to come up with answers, even though Kevin can tell that it's difficult   
when the problem hits so close to home.  
  
He watches in silence, recognizing the disappointment of someone who's on the   
verge of losing faith.  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Truth in Desire  
  
**Picture:** Luke and Grace  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
He finds comfort in his dreams, most of which involve some form of kissing or being   
kissed by Grace.  
  
The image of tender lips on his, her arms wrapped firmly around his neck as their   
bodies press close together gives him the courage to hope for the impossible.  
  
No matter what the intensity of any given kiss, he always feels as if he is capable   
enough to handle any given dilemma.  
  
They make an odd pairing and he cannot explain how he can feel such strong   
emotions when it comes to someone who refuses to reciprocate them.  
  
Even so, he knows that there is certainty in his desire.  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Need  
  
**Picture:** Joan and Adam at Night  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
For lack of sleep, she decides to schedule an impromptu meeting with Adam in   
the park located a couple of blocks from her house.  
  
He finds her, a solitary figure bathed in moonlight, a shawl wrapped tightly around   
her shoulders.  
  
"Jane?"  
  
She finds that she can't speak and the silence stretches between them as they   
stand facing each other.  
  
But she finally finds her voice, and tells him what she's wanted to say for so long   
but was too scared to admit.  
  
"I needed you."  
  
Her fingers tremble as she holds out her hand to him.  
  
And she breathes a sigh of relief when he takes it without hesitation.  
  
**Author:** Everwood2003  
  
**Title:** Warmth  
  
**Picture:** CuteBoyGod and Joan  
  
**Word Count:** 100  
  
"I'm glad that you finally decided to share some of your burdens, Joan.   
I do, however, suggest that next time, when you have to exorcize your demons,  
you do so during daylight hours."  
  
Talking to Him is still a bit unsettling and there are still traces of anger in her   
heart but, for the most part, His presence gives her peace of mind.  
  
"Yeah, well, considering the past few weeks have been utter he—er, awful,   
you could cut me some slack, you know."  
  
He smiles and she basks in the warmth of his gaze for a moment, dwelling on   
her special connection to the universe before resuming her walk to class.


End file.
